what are we grateful for?
Reminded by this challenge of Sonia Sanchez's last summer to let go of all negative thoughts for 24 hours. When I first heard Sonia say it, I was immediately that sarcastic hand-waving kid who didn't believe in God in the back of the room during Chinese Sunday School, wanting the teacher to prove to me God exists in physical, concrete details. But. Still. It is a beautiful thing to aspire to. Listening to my teacher Erica repeat this lesson to disperse negativity by not allowing shit-talking to pass your lips for awhile to notice what does come out, while overlooking this bean-shaped pond (yes, I have been informed it's a pond, not a lake) framed by trees that will be growing leaves, it does seem possible. Here have been the things I have been grateful here & in my life.
From my journal a few days ago (4.29.07):
For being here, for all the words & stories coming before & now finally knowing they're out there & where to begin to look. How to plug in & get connected if I desire & also for the lesson of taking self-care time & having boundaries. For the special people in my life who have kept me afloat. For music. For travel. For girlhood and womanhood in many facets. For sex & sexuality. For ideas. For journals. For rituals & beauty. For laughter. For rivers & ponds & birds. For fish & honey & tea & coffee & meat & salad. For cheese & ice cream. For milk. For rocks to sit on. For the lapping of water. For the feeling of sun on your back. For ink. For tradition. For heritage. For song. For layers. For breast, for belly, for lip, for eye, for curve, for glow, for leaness & for plump juicy girlflesh. For dancing. For sweat. For love. For decades. For experience. For sidewalks. For glisten. For weekends. For mornings. For beds. For magic. For the smell of hair. For knowing your own body. For nourishment. For imagination & creativity. For praise. For growth. For tongue muscles. For the form & body of poetry. For invitation. For sharing. For feet dangling. For almost. For pebbles. For possibility. For sizzling. For anticipation. For giggles. For beginnings. For letting go. For pathways. For forks. For chances. For cycles. For monks & monasteries. For sand. For ripples. For mint. For rice & harvest. For family. For mothers. For fathers. For tidiness & putting things in order. For lovely chaos. For glimpses. For slivers. For gratitude.
From my journal a few days ago (4.29.07):
For being here, for all the words & stories coming before & now finally knowing they're out there & where to begin to look. How to plug in & get connected if I desire & also for the lesson of taking self-care time & having boundaries. For the special people in my life who have kept me afloat. For music. For travel. For girlhood and womanhood in many facets. For sex & sexuality. For ideas. For journals. For rituals & beauty. For laughter. For rivers & ponds & birds. For fish & honey & tea & coffee & meat & salad. For cheese & ice cream. For milk. For rocks to sit on. For the lapping of water. For the feeling of sun on your back. For ink. For tradition. For heritage. For song. For layers. For breast, for belly, for lip, for eye, for curve, for glow, for leaness & for plump juicy girlflesh. For dancing. For sweat. For love. For decades. For experience. For sidewalks. For glisten. For weekends. For mornings. For beds. For magic. For the smell of hair. For knowing your own body. For nourishment. For imagination & creativity. For praise. For growth. For tongue muscles. For the form & body of poetry. For invitation. For sharing. For feet dangling. For almost. For pebbles. For possibility. For sizzling. For anticipation. For giggles. For beginnings. For letting go. For pathways. For forks. For chances. For cycles. For monks & monasteries. For sand. For ripples. For mint. For rice & harvest. For family. For mothers. For fathers. For tidiness & putting things in order. For lovely chaos. For glimpses. For slivers. For gratitude.